Karnataka: Owner changes name of bus from 'Israel Travels' to 'Jerusalem' after social media outrage

Some had shared the photo of the bus on social media asking the police to file an FIR for having the name of the bus as 'Israel Travels'.

Mangaluru: The owner of a private bus in Karnataka, who had named his bus as 'Israel Travels', has changed the name after people on social media objected to it. Now, he has named the bus as ‘Jerusalem’

Some had shared the photo of the bus operating on Moodbidri- Kinnigoli- Kateel - Mulki route asking the police to file an FIR for having the name of the bus as 'Israel Travels'.

Lester, owner of the bus, from Kateel has been employed in Israel for the past 12 years. He recently purchased an old bus operating on the Moodbidri-Kinnigoli-Kateel-Mulki route and named it 'Israel Travels'. As conflicts between Israel-Palestine and Israel-Iran intensified, some individuals expressed objections on social media regarding the name of the bus.

“Soon after noticing social media messages, I voluntarily decided to change the name,” he said and added, "I have no idea why people have problem naming the bus as Israel Travels."

He said, "Israel gave me life. This is the country where holy land Jerusalem is situated. I love the system in Israel and as an admirer, I named the bus as Israel Travels. I was saddened by the social media comments. Hence, I voluntarily decided to change the name of the bus. I did not wish to hurt anyone," he said.

Lester works in Israel and his family settled in Kateel manages the bus operation.